The London eye

1.

2. The London Eye

• The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel situated on the banks of
the River Thames in London, England. The entire structure is
135 m tall and the wheel has a diameter of 120 m.
• It is the most popular paid
tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over
3.5 million people annually.
• The London Eye, or Millennium Wheel, was officially called the
British Airways London Eye and then the Merlin Entertainments
London Eye. Since 20 January 2011, its official name is the EDF
Energy London Eye following a three-year sponsorship deal.
• The London Eye adjoins the western end of Jubilee Gardens, on
the South Bank of the River Thames between
Westminster Bridge and Hungerford Bridge, in the
London Borough of Lambeth.

3. History

The London Eye was designed by
architects Frank Anatole, Nic
Bailey, Steve Chilton, Malcolm
Cook, Mark Sparrowhawk, and the
husband-and-wife team of Julia
Barfield and David Marks.
They submitted their idea for a
large observation wheel as part of
a competition to design a landmark
for the new millennium.
None of the entrants won the
competition, but the couple
pressed on and eventually got the
support of British Airways, who
sponsored the project.

4. Opening

The London Eye was formally opened by the then Prime Minister,
Tony Blair, on December 31, 1999, although it was not opened to the
public until March 9, 2000 because of the technical problems. Since its
opening, the Eye has become a major landmark and tourist attraction.

5. Construction

In the process over 1700 tons of
steel were used for the structure
and more than 3000 tons of
concrete were used for the
foundations. Its steel design
forms an "A" shape, with two
large tapered legs at the base 20 meters apart and each over
58 meters in length. The legs
lean toward the river at a 65degree angle. The rim of the Eye
is supported by tensioned steel
cables and resembles a huge
spoked bicycle wheel.

6.

The wheel's 32 sealed and air-conditioned ovoidal passenger
capsules are attached to the external circumference of the wheel
and rotated by electric motors. Each of the 10-tonne capsules
represents one of the London Boroughs , and holds up to 25
people, who are free to walk around inside the capsule, though
seating is provided. The wheel rotates at 26 cm per second so that
one revolution takes about 30 minutes.

7.

360° view over London
Thanks to the construction of the glass capsules on the outer side of the rim, the
passengers have a great 360° view over London. Many famous landmarks are
clearly visible, including Buckingham Palace , St. Paul's Cathedral, the Houses of
Parliament etc.

8. What is the London Eye useful for?

Other then providing a great 360 views of London the London Eye hosts
many major events. Such as every year the London Eye is part of London’s
new year celebration and apparently used by small businesses for the
conferences.

9.

INTERESTING FACTS
Olympic Torch 2012 reaches new heights on London Eye
• Amelia Hempleman-Adams, who
became the youngest person to ski to the
South Pole when aged just 16, grinned
from ear to ear as she held the flame on
top of a capsule on board the giant
wheel.
• Illuminated by early morning sunshine,
the 17-year-old girl held on tight as she
raised the torch above the sleepy capital
shortly after 8am.
• And she kept a tight grip as she posed
with the flame at a height much greater
than nearby Big Ben, surrounded by
bright blue sky.

10.

London 2012: Olympic Torch reaches new heights on London Eye
Breathtaking: brave torch bearer Amelia
smiles for the camera as she stands on top of
a capsule on the London Eye

11.

INTERESTING FACTS
London Eye hosted its 5,000th marriage proposal
• Since the attraction opened in 2000, there have been 5,000 proposals that are
known of, 512 weddings, 22 civil partnerships and about 1.5 million glasses of
Champagne consumed.
• Jagan Rao and Natasha Palmer from Marylebone, central London, decided to
get married on the wheel on Saturday.
• The couple have now been given a complimentary "Cupid's Capsule" on the
date of their proposal every year.

12.

Weddings on the London Eye

13.

Celebrities draw inspiration from the visit of
the London Eye
Supermodel
Kate Moss has
been on the
London Eye 25
times – the
record for a UK
celebrity

14. In addition: List of Ferris wheels whose construction has been completed and which have opened to the public.

In addition: List of Ferris wheels whose construction has been
completed and which have opened to the public.
1. Singapore Flyer (165 m, 28 capsules)
2. Star of Nanchang (160 m, 60 capsules, China)
3. LONDON EYE (UK) (135 m, 32 capsules)
1
2